Natalie Kibbe, 36, of Comstock Park, discovered that she was artistically inclined while a student at Wyoming Park High School.

But it was a random flip through a magazine a few years ago that led her to her current love of making papier-mache figurines. I recently got a chance to visit Kibbe at her home and see all the whimsical creations she makes and sells online under the name Miss Bea Haven's Originals. Kibbe's work is even more impressive in person. Read on for Kibbe's story and instructions to make a papier-mache bowl.

Some of Natalie Kibbe's papier-mache work.

Natalie Kibbe wasn't really into crafting when she was a kid. Perhaps that was because her mother crafted enough for both of them.

"I was always watching her make things," Kibbe said of her mom, Liz Stevens.

"My art teacher tried to encourage me to go to Kendall (College of Art and Design of Ferris State University), and she got me in there, but I didn't go," Kibbe said, smiling. "I think of her a lot now."

Kibbe's, son, Noah, 12, made this papier-mache bowl for his sister.

Instead, Kibbe got married and started a family. She was pregnant with her daughter, Mackenzie, now 14, when her mother gave her a sewing machine so she could make curtains for her home.

"I was kind of mad at her because she could sew, and I couldn't," Kibbe said, recalling how she wanted her mother to do the sewing for her.

But, she wouldn't, Kibbe said. "And I'm so glad, because I (got) addicted."

Kibbe made the curtains and kept right on sewing -- baby clothes.

Through the years, Kibbe has made clothing for her daughter and son, Noah, now 12, and continued sewing baby and toddler clothes to sell at craft shows and, more recently, online.

About three years ago, she started to get bored with sewing and began looking for a new creative outlet. Inspiration struck while she was flipping through an issue of Country Living magazine and saw an article about papier-mache.

"It didn't tell how to do it. It just kind of showcased (the artist's) work, and it just really inspired me."

Kibbe went home and figured out how to sculpt with papier-mache. A bee in her bathroom is the piece she considers her first successful project.

She soon began creating sculptures of small people and animals. She started selling her pieces about a year ago on etsy.com, under the name Miss Bee Haven's Originals.

Using wallpaper paste, newspaper, wire and foam balls, Kibbe builds her sculptural pieces and embellishes her designs with painted details packed with personality. A few of her pieces look as though they could be extras in the stop-animation 1964 classic Christmas special, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

Kibbe's papier-mache figures cost $12 to $65. Collectors across the country and abroad have purchased her work. Mapping sales has turned into a fun educational experience for Kibbe and her kids, who mark the locations she ships her creations to with star stickers.

"When you think that now my pieces are all over the country, and the people who buy them seem to really love them, that does give me a good feeling," Kibbe said. "It's very exciting."

Meanwhile, Kibbe has not stopped sewing. She still makes baby clothes to sell online under the name Humble Bea's Boutique.

"At the end of the day, when I probably should have gone to bed, I don't. I go sew something."

Kibbe never planned to specialize in papier-mache. She urges others to try art forms that appeal to them.

"You've just got to dive in and try it," she said. "Do what you love. I've tried a lot of things, and if you're not doing something you love, it shows in your work."